Articles & Case Studies

Torbay invests to help clean up English Riviera

Posted: Wednesday 8th February 2006

The Brokenbury Works at Churston near Torbay in Devon, has invested in new equipment from Centriquip to give the area their first ever comprehensive sewage treatment system. The new system is designed to cope with the massive influx of tourists visiting the area in summer and keep the local beaches clean for families to enjoy all year round.

The CQ5000 centrifuges from Centriquip in Derbyshire are an important feature of the 44-million pound investment made in Churston, to prevent a daily 10 million gallons of sewage being pumped out to sea. The centrifuges dewater the sewage sludge by separating out the water to produce a dry cake. The decanted water is then ready to be disposed of safely through the works system. The dry cake is sent for land fill or used as a valuable fertiliser for local farmers.

Because of the ever-increasing popularity of Torbay as a tourist destination, the sewage works runs twenty-four hours a day and uses both CQ5000 machines continuously. The machines can be shut down independently for essential maintenance allowing the plant to continue. A separate rotating assembly is on hand that can be transferred to either machine at short notice if major work is required.

The whole project has been designed with the environment in mind. Not only does the processing system help keep the beaches clean but the entire plant has been built largely below ground level to help maintain the much-loved beauty of the surrounding area.

"Centriquip machinery was used to reduce the number of sludge tankers required and as a result has prevented increased traffic congestion in this premier holiday resort," explained Peter Brooks - Programme Leader (Asset Development Planned Projects) for the Torbay Sewage Works.

The project is part of a £95 million ‘Clean Sweep’ scheme in Torbay aiming to rid the area of outdated sewage outlets and improve the environment for residents and visitors alike. Already over 223 of the 250 raw sewage outlets on the South-West coast have been closed down for good, with all but four scheduled for shut down by the end of 2006.